A Day in the Life of a Social Media Intern
Before I started my summer internship at Blue Cross NC, I had a hard time imagining what my actual duties would look like. What would I be doing every day? Would my days always look the same? Would I actually learn anything that would help me in my career?
In reality, my typical day is anything but like I had expected. In case you’re curious what life is like for a social media intern, here you go.
Day in the life of a Blue Cross NC Intern
7: 30 AM I arrive at the Durham office bright and early. I start my day by reading any overnight emails and compiling a “to do” list for the day.To start the day, I like to sit at one of the couches in the café. Here at Blue Cross NC, we have what is called ‘flex seating.’ That means we can sit essentially wherever we want—no more being tied to a cubicle! At first, I found this a little weird, but now I love it. It allows you to move wherever you feel most comfortable and productive.
8:30 AM I start creating and scheduling content to go on our social media platforms later in the week. I know what you’re thinking, Blue Cross NC lets an intern tweet for them? And the answer is yes. While I still have to get the posts approved, I do create content and post on our various social media platforms.From what I heard from my friends who had interned at other companies, I never guessed that I would have the responsibilities that I do. Not only do I feel valued, but it makes me want to work harder.
9 AM This morning, I am meeting a team member to brainstorm for an upcoming ad campaign. Last year, Blue Cross NC launched Hike NC as an initiative to get more North Carolinians outside and active, and you guessed it, start hiking! We launched this initiative in the fall and the response was so strong, we are continuing it through the summer.For this round of hikes, we are targeting women who may not be as inclined to head outdoors to the trails. So how do we start building our demographic? Interests ranging from DIY projects to breweries, to The Bachelor are all included in our target demographic for this campaign.If you had told me that my opinion would carry the same weight as my more experienced colleagues, I would have laughed in your face. But much to my surprise, my team welcomes my opinion and suggestions as if I were any other full-time employee.
10:30 AM I have some down time to brainstorm blog topics for our weekly meeting. I look on our intranet home page to get some ideas about our most recent community initiatives. An article about our involvement with the East Durham Children’s Initiative (EDCI) that addresses summer hunger for students sparks my interest.
11 AM It’s time for our weekly blog meeting. I pitch my idea to write about the strikingly high number of children that rely on free and reduced lunches and their risk of hunger during the summer months, and the team loves it! We discuss and brainstorm other upcoming blog topics ranging from common summer camp ailments to a local farmer’s market.
12 PM Lunch time. Today, all of the interns get to meet Mitch Perry, SVP and Chief Financial Officer for Blue Cross NC. Lunch is provided (because what college student doesn’t like free food?) and we have the opportunity to learn about his career path and ask questions. Blue Cross NC values transparency and open communication, and the senior leadership team takes the time to build relationships with employees, even interns.
1:15 PM I begin working on the blog post I pitched earlier in the day. I do some of my own research and I reach out to our Community Relations team to find out more details about our involvement with EDCI.
One of the things that I love the most about being a part of the Social Media team is that we get the chance to work with a wide variety of other teams frequently. I get the chance to learn about Community Relations, Public Relations, Internal Communications, Marketing, Healthcare and even Human Resources!
2:45 PM My team member asked that I make a graphic for our Hike NC ad campaign that is launching very soon. I use an online tool to design a graphic for Facebook and Twitter. I love getting the chance to use my creativity while also developing my graphic design skills.
3:45 PM I schedule some more content that I received throughout the day from other teams to go out on our social media platforms. I check my email one last time before I leave for the day. I head home knowing that I contributed to Blue Cross NC and I look forward to tomorrow!
This experience has already taught me so much—the importance of understanding expectations, building relationships with your fellow employees, learning as much as you can about the company and industry you’re working in, and not being afraid to add your input, to name just a few. The culture here at Blue Cross NC continues to surprise me each and every day. Who knew people could be so friendly and welcoming?! I truly couldn’t ask for a better internship experience.
If you or someone you know is interested in an internship or career at Blue Cross NC, please visit our Career page.
2017 Summer Interns
